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Sunday, April 29, 2018

Here’s my latest review of local news about decisions made by our elected officials and our governing bodies.

In one sentence: The County Commission moved a one percent sales tax to the November ballot but failed to act on affordable housing; the county’s crime rate continued its steady decline; the City of Naples Planning Board is considering proposals for the Third Street South Plaza and related parking challenges; City voters will face an Ethics Panel referendum in November; and the School Board adopted tough new security measures in the wake of the Parkland shootings.

For more on these and other stories voters should be aware of, read on!

Commentary: It’s time for a hospital in eastern Collier County. There are no hospital beds per 1,000 persons within a 30-minute drive of Ave Maria and Immokalee, a metric used by the World Health Organization to designate developing countries. By William L. McDaniel Jr., Vice chairman, Collier County Commission, via Naples Daily News, 4/18/18

Delay on fire breaks leaves Estates at risk. The County Commission agreed to send more than $100,000 to the Florida Forest Service to remove dead wood and undergrowth that had been building up like a tinderbox. But it took the better part of a year for the Forest Service to accept the money. Naples Daily News, 4/7/18

Brent Batten: Fire protection fee is another tax plan facing Collier. Voters in the North Collier and Immokalee fire districts will be asked to approve a change in funding formulas that would shift the burden away from residential property owners and toward businesses and “institutions” — mainly nonprofit groups — that had previously paid very little for fire protection. In return, the property tax millage would be reduced. Naples Daily News, 4/15/18

Related commentary: Emergency services, the financial reality. If we are to continue providing a high level of all-hazards services to our residents, hospitals, schools, assisted living centers and businesses, we will need the funding required. By James Burke, Commissioner, North Collier Fire Control and Rescue District, via Naples Daily News, 4/19/18

That’s it for April’s local news. Stay tuned in the coming days for my review of state government news!

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Less than 100 days from now, vote-by-mail ballots for the August 28 primary elections will be on the way to Collier voters who requested them. Early voting begins on August 18.

Between now and then, I’ll be researching the candidates and issues to help inform Collier voters. And I’ll share what I learn and how I’ll vote in a series of “Get Ready to Vote” posts in the coming weeks and months. This is the first in that series, and I'll start with the basics.

State Legislative: State Senate (District 28), State House (Districts 80, 105, 106)

State Attorney 20th Circuit, Public Defender 20th Circuit

Circuit Judges 20th Circuit, County Court Judges

County: Commissioner (District 2 and 4)

School Board: Member (Districts 1, 3 and 5)

What are the types of races and who gets to vote in each?Partisan vs nonpartisan
Florida is a closed primary state, which means that only people registered with a political party can vote in that party’s primary.

In August, there will be both partisan elections, in which only registered party members can vote, and nonpartisan elections, in which all registered voters, regardless of party, can vote.

However, if all the candidates for an office have the same party affiliation and the winner of the primary election will not face any opposition in the general election (i.e. no write-in candidates have qualified), then all registered voters can vote for any of the candidates for that office in the primary election. This is referred to as the “write-in loophole,” and it was a major factor in the 2016 primary elections. See Editorial: Act now to get write-in loophole fix on November ballot, Treasure Coast Newspapers via Naples Daily News, 4/8/18.

At-large vs single-district
In addition, there will be both at-large elections, in which all registered voters can vote regardless of where in the county they live, and single-district elections, in which only those who live in the district can vote. Your district information is printed on your voter registration card, or call or email the Supervisor of Elections office: (239) 252-VOTE (8683) or SupervisorofElections@colliergov.net.

Here is a summary of those distinctions for Collier voters’ August elections:

Things to do right now

Request a vote-by-mail (VBM) ballot if you won’t be in town to vote in person or if you simply prefer the time savings of voting from home, as I do. Do it online by answering a few questions and then printing out, signing and mailing in a form, or by requesting a paper form to fill out from the Supervisor of Elections office: (239) 252-VOTE (8683). or SupervisorofElections@colliergov.net. The postal service will not forward vote-by-mail ballots, even if you’re arranged for mail forwarding. You MUST give the Supervisor of Elections the address to which your ballot should be mailed.

Check the status of your VBM ballot if you’ve already requested one. Confirm it online or by phone (239–252-VOTE) (8683). For me, the website shows:

Review your voter registration information and make any needed changes. Do it online or by calling the Supervisor of Elections office: (239) 252-VOTE (8683). Make sure they have your current address and the party affiliation of the primary you want to vote in. If the signature on file might not match your current signature, consider updating it. I update mine every few years.

That’s it for now. I look forward to becoming a more informed voter and sharing what I learn. It’s in all of our best interests to participate in an informed way in the election process and to take full advantage of our right to vote. After all, democracy is not a spectator sport.

Note: As published 4/16/18, we wrote that all judicial elections were nonpartisan. Updated 04/17/18: State Attorney and Public Defender elections are partisan, Circuit and County Court Judges are nonpartisan.

Superintendents call for veto of school ‘guardian’ funding. The Florida Association of School Superintendents asked Gov. Scott to veto the $67 million set aside for the new school 'guardian' program, and to direct the Legislature to reallocate the amount so it can be used to pay for either the guardian program or additional sworn resource officers, whichever a district prefers. Tampa Bay Times, 3/9/18 (Scott took no action on the request.)

Budget boosts school construction. Public schools will receive $50 million in maintenance and renovation funding, while charter schools will receive $150 million, including $5 million contingent on federal reimbursements. Charter school funding was increased because under a new law (HB 7055 - see below), school districts will not have to share local property taxes used for construction and maintenance with charter schools. The Ledger, 3/12/18

An update on the Constitution Revision Commission
The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) is a group of 37 people appointed last year to review and recommend changes to the Florida Constitution. It’s one of five ways Florida can amend its constitution, and it only happens once every 20 years. Proposals it approves will be on Florida ballots in November.

In all, 782 public proposals and 103 commissioner proposals were considered by the Commission. In late March, commissioners agreed to send 25 of them to the Style & Drafting Committee, which will clarify, codify, arrange and group them, and draft the ballot title summaries to appear on the ballot. The CRC will meet again in April for a final vote.

CRC drops certificate of need revamp. Gov. Scott’s long-standing priority to eliminate the certificate-of-need program for Florida hospitals came to a halt, after a member of a powerful panel withdrew a proposal that would have overhauled the current hospital-approval system. News Service of Florida, 4/3/18

In April: The Legislature may be called back for a special session if an updated gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe is reached. The CRC will likely finalize the amendments it will put on the November ballot. And state and local election campaigns will continue to heat up. On Monday, as long-expected, Rick Scott declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, challenging incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson. Many say Florida will be the “battleground for control of Congress.”

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Here’s my latest review of local news about our governing bodies and decisions made by our elected officials! Top stories:

The County Commission approved the referendum language and project priorities of a one-cent sales tax increase that will appear on the ballot in November, grappled with failing conditions of some of the County’s busiest roads, and was chided for not dealing with the affordable housing shortage by the Daily News Editorial Board.

Naples City Council needs a new city manager after learning that incumbent Bill Moss will retire at the end of the year, and their Marco Island counterpart needs one, too, after firing embattled Lee Niblock …. Collier Schools officials and Sheriff Kevin Rambosk weighed in on school safety following the Parkland shooting … Superintendent Kamela Patton was recognized by the Florida Commissioner of Education for her use of data to improve students' college and career readiness … and a seventh candidate entered the Collier School Board race.

For more on these and other stories Collier voters should be aware of, read on!

Commentary: Resource officers help keep Collier schools safe. There is a Youth Relations deputy assigned to each public and charter school in our county and they can be found on campus interacting with students and teachers, providing safety presentations in classrooms, assisting with school activities and carrying out their many other responsibilities. By Kevin Rambosk, Collier County Sheriff, via Naples Daily News

City of Marco Island requests $8.1 million in capital funds from Collier County Public Schools. The Collier School Board will discuss the request on behalf of the Marco Island Academy charter school at its April 10 public meeting in Everglades City. City RequestCCPS PowerPoint